South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Expected lineups, head-to-head, toss, predictions and betting odds

India's tour of South Africa is set to conclude with the red-ball leg as the two sides will lock horns in a two-match Test series, with the first Test starting on Tuesday, December 26, at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion, Gauteng.

All the focus has now shifted towards the longest format of the game, after the three-match T20I series ended in a 1-1 and the subsequent ODI series was won by India, with KL Rahul becoming just the second Indian captain (Virat Kohli is the other) to lead the Men in Blue to an ODI series win in South Africa against South Africa. 

Veterans such as Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, who weren't a part of the limited-overs leg, are set to return to the all-whites in what promises to be a thrilling Test series. 

South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Predicted lineups

South Africa Predicted XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (C), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (WK), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

India Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa vs India: Head-to-head in Tests

The two teams have faced each other 42 times in Tests, with the Proteas having a slightly better record, winning 17 games compared to India's 15.

South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Toss

With the game set to take in Centurion, there has been a lot of buzz about rain playing a major role in the game. The temperatures could drop to as low as 20°C.

Centurion pitch curator Brain Bloy had given his thoughts on the pitch, the weather conditions, and how it could affect the game.

"Temperature will be super low, like 20 degrees. The temperature is now 34 and it will drop to 20. I don’t know what conditions will be like, whether we will get play on Day 1," Bloy told PTI.

"Hopefully we will get some play and it will be cool on Day 3 and I don't know how much turn will be available."

According to Bloy, the pitch is going to have a thin, even layer of grass on it, making it difficult for spinners to work their magic. 

Considering the overcast conditions, and the pitch being ideal for bowling, the captain that wins the toss should decide to bowl first. 

South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Prediction

On paper, the two teams seem pretty evenly matched. The return of Bavuma, Rabada, Jansen, Ngidi, and Coetzee is surely going to give the hosts a big boost, while the visitors will be buoyed by the inclusion of skipper Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah in the XI. 

With the conditions set to be very tricky for the batsmen, Indian batsmen will have a tougher time dealing with the South African bowling lineup. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Gill - three of the team's likely top five in the XI - haven't played a single Test in South Africa. 

Meanwhile, the hosts seem to have a stronger bowling attack heading into the game as the visitors will be without the services of gun bowler Mohammed Shami.

If we were to predict the outcome, we would say South Africa will take the lead. 

South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Betting odds

According to Dafabet, India are the favourites to win the first Test.